Local faces among possible DA contenders

By Lisa Redmond, lredmond@lowellsun.com

Updated:
01/12/2013 06:35:33 AM EST

LOWELL -- In the wake of Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone's announcement that he won't seek a third term in 2014, possible candidates vying for his job could include a state senator, a sheriff, a clerk of courts, a current state representative and a former state representative.

Leone announced at an office ceremony Thursday night he will not seek a third term next year. He is not running for another elected position and intends to leave government, he said. Leone, who has served since 2006, said he has no specific plans following his term.

"For the last 30 years, the last three Middlesex district attorneys have not run for re-election to a third term as Middlesex district attorney," Leone said, according to remarks distributed by his office. "However, unlike my predecessor Middlesex district attorneys, I am not running for another elective office, and in fact, I intend to leave government service when I leave this office."

He has declined to speak more about his decision.

Within hours of Leone's announcement, names were being floated as possible successors to the $143,843-per-year post, including Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, state Sen. Eileen Donoghue, Middlesex Clerk of Courts Michael Sullivan, state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, and former state Rep. Charlie Murphy, D-Burlington.

Linsky told The Sun on Friday, "I will certainly take a look at it. The Middlesex District Attorney's job has always interested me.

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Linsky said he "looks back fondly" on his 14 years as a Middlesex prosecutor. He added that as a state represented he has concentrated on criminal-justice issues.

Local attorney and Register of Deeds Richard Howe Jr. said, "Eileen Donoghue would certainly be a strong candidate if she were interested. Her legal background is in criminal law. She did well in the 2007 congressional race, so she has name recognition beyond her Senate district and Greater Lowell."

If Donoghue was the only woman in a field of men and the only candidate from the northern part of the county, Howe said, "She'd have a good shot at winning."

When reached for comment, Donoghue said, "It is something to look at. ... I wouldn't rule it out."

Sullivan, a former Middlesex prosecutor and assistant state attorney general, finished second to former Middlesex District Attorney Martha Coakley in 1998. Linsky is a former assistant Middlesex district attorney for 14 years. Murphy, state representative from Burlington, resigned last July after a 16-year political career.

Koutoujian said he hasn't ruled out a run for district attorney.

"Throughout my career in public service I have looked at how I can have the greatest impact and bring about the most benefit to the people I serve,'' he said.

Koutoujian was a Middlesex prosecutor and state representative before being appointed to the sheriff's office in 2011 to fill the post of the late Sheriff James DiPaola, then elected to the post last November.

Howe noted that countywide candidates may have the upper hand due to the size of Middlesex County. "People who have run for countywide seats have greater exposure,'' Howe said. But Howe added it depends on the pool of candidates.

Victims' advocate Laurie Myers, of Chelmsford-based Community Voices, said whoever is elected has "big shoes to fill.''

"Peter (Koutoujian) definitely has the name recognition and his record on public-safety issues when he was a state representative. (David) Linsky's résumé speaks for itself. Eileen Donoghue has been great on public-safety issues in her short time as a senator, and I like Mike Sullivan. All of them are qualified, that's for sure,'' Myers said.

Local defense attorney Robert Normandin, who has worked with a string of district attorneys, said he's heard Sullivan and Koutoujian being floated as contenders.

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